New York Rangers Must Win Game Five Against Washington Capitals
This could be the last of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs that the New York Rangers see if they don’t pull off a win against the Washington Capitals in Game Five.
- Time: 7:00 pm EST
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
- Where to watch: NBCSN, TVA
This series is now 3-1, Washington, and the Rangers are facing elimination tonight.
Remember when we said to not push the panic button earlier this year? Well now may be the perfect time to do that.
If the Rangers weren’t desperate in Game Four, they definitely should be in Game Five. This is an absolute must win and if the Rangers can’t muster the energy to pick up their game tonight, they’re out of the Playoffs, plain and simple.
Offense is still way under par. If the Rangers’ desperation to win Game Five makes any impact on their play tonight, it has to be in better offense. Derick Brassard has stepped up where Rick Nash has kept quiet in the goals department. But at this point, it’s going to take more than Brassard and more than four lines of offense to generate goals. Defense needs to chip in anywhere they can.
New York Rangers
Henrik Lundqvist deserves better than this. His performance between the pipes has been relatively solid and has given the Rangers so many chances of winning in this series. But time and time again, the team has failed to do their part on the other side of the rink. The Rangers owe it to Hank to put the puck in the Capitals net at least three times tonight.
The Rangers have been in this situation before: down 3-1 in the series with the Pittsburgh Penguins in Round Two of the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The chance of a comeback against the Capitals this time may look slim, but it’s a chance nonetheless.
Click here for the Rangers lineup.
Rookie, Andre Burakovsky, single handedly won Game Four for the Caps with his two goals in the 2-1 win. Clearly the guy is a talented hockey player, but the fact that he scored twice says something about the Rangers.
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New York’s Captain and defenseman, Ryan McDonagh, struggled to contain the puck in front of Burakovsky and ultimately led to the Rangers’ demise. That kind of mistake is unacceptable for someone with a C on his jersey. McDonagh’s performance affects everyone else on the team and thus the whole attitude of the game. If he lets down his guard again, the Caps will take advantage of that in one way or another.
Washington’s Captain, Alex Ovechkin, on the other hand has been the total opposite of McDonagh. If he’s not scoring goals, he’s doing everything else he can on the ice to help: finishing checks and creating opportunities with speed. And that has given the rest of the Capitals the push they need to win.
The Capitals are the stronger team going into Game Five, but as so many people say, the fourth win is the hardest to get.
Click here for the Capitals lineup.
Next: Is Lundqvist holding back the Rangers from winning?
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